“Darwin Nunez will be up there for the Golden Boot” - Ex-England star makes bold claim on Liverpool forward
Former England striker Gary Lineker has backed Liverpool's Darwin Nunez to compete for the Premier League Golden Boot this season.
The Uruguay international is yet to start for the Reds this season but made his presence count in the game against Newcastle United on Sunday (August 27). The Reds fell behind in the 25th minute after Anthony Gordon capitalized on Trent Alexander-Arnold's mistake.
Things got worse three minutes later when Virgil van Dijk was given his marching orders. Liverpool, thanks to goalkeeper Alisson Becker's brilliance, stayed in the game and did not concede another.
Jurgen Klopp brought on Nunez up front to push for the equalizer. The former SL Benfica striker scored two well-taken late goals to hand his team all three points at St. James' Park.
Nunez has come on as a second-half substitute in all three of Liverpool's league games this season. Lineker, though, believes the 24-year-old has what it takes to compete for the Golden Boot.
The former Barcelona and Leicester City striker recently said (h/t @AnythingLFC_ on X):
"I suspect Darwin Nunez will be up there for the Golden Boot this season."
Nunez, who was the 2021-22 Primeira Liga's top scorer with 26 goals in 28 games, ended last season with nine goals in 29 Premier League appearances. One can expect Erling Haaland to be up there for the award once again after he won it last season, scoring a record 36 goals in 35 league games.
The Norwegian hitman has scored thrice in as many games for Manchester City this term.
Jurgen Klopp coy about Liverpool star Darwin Nunez's chances to start next game
Jurgen Klopp gave nothing away when he was asked if Darwin Nunez could start for Liverpool in the Premier League against Aston Villa on September 3.
One can expect that Nunez will give Klopp major selection headaches for the game against the Villans after his heroic brace against the Magpies. His finishes were that of a seasoned striker and his pace off the blocks was on full display in both goals.
Klopp said, via the club website:
"I never made a decision about the line-up the week before the game. We will see. But you can have worse arguments, I would say."
Apart from Nunez, the Reds have Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota as their first-team options. In Jamie Carragher's opinion, those four names are ahead of the Uruguay striker in the club's pecking order.